Lamichhane Appointed Chair of Cancer Hospital While CIAA Appeal Is Pending at Supreme Court
Dragon Media Correspondent
The Ministry of Health and Food Safety has appointed Bhimkanta Lamichhane as chair of the Development Committee of the Sushil Koirala Prakhar Cancer Hospital in Khajura, Banke. The Ministry invited applications from eligible candidates and conducted interviews. The appointment comes as an appeal by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) remains pending at the Supreme Court in a corruption case filed against Lamichhane over his tenure at CTEVT.
Lamichhane was the then acting director of CTEVT’s Karnali provincial office. On September 11, 2022, the CIAA filed a charge sheet at the Special Court against him and 10 others, alleging irregularities in agreements, procurement and payments related to training programmes. The Commission sought to recover Rs 34,388,816 from Lamichhane.
On February 26, 2024, the Special Court acquitted Lamichhane and the other defendants. The CIAA appealed that verdict to the Supreme Court in April 2025. The legal process remains unresolved until the appeal is decided. The filing of a charge sheet does not, by itself, establish guilt; at the same time, the Ministry should publicly clarify the status of the appeal, which remains a matter of public interest in connection with the appointment.
The Ministry has not disclosed what checks it made regarding the case pending at the Supreme Court, how it considered the case in evaluating candidates, or on what basis it deemed Lamichhane’s qualifications and experience suitable for the post. Publishing the number of candidates interviewed, the evaluation criteria and the reasons for the recommendation would make the selection process more transparent.
Qualifications and experience matter in appointing the leadership of a public hospital that provides cancer care, as does public confidence in the institution. The Ministry should therefore disclose the basis for its selection and the details of its background checks. It is the government’s responsibility to verify the status of the appeal pending at the Supreme Court and explain how it was considered when making the appointment.
